“One Model Nation” is a new graphic novel by Donovan Leitch and C. Allbritton Taylor of the Dandy Warhols. It depicts the brief history of an 1970s West German underground rock band, “One Model Nation,” early innovators in electronic music. It’s a dramatic story, weaving together rock n’ roll, youth revolution and murderous girlfriends, specifically Ulrike Meinhofof the Baader-Meinhof Group/Red Army Faction.
As a graphic novel, the story is restricted to what can be primarily told through images and dialog, which capture the band’s popularity and mystique. However, no matter how striking the images of band performing are, they cannot replace a couple lines describing what German political art-noise actually sounded like or context for the youth rebellion.
With a story this sensational, it is hard not to become intrigued by the band, their history and their music. However, I am left with many unanswered questions. It is almost as if rather than a stand alone piece, this was meant to be the launching point for further exploration. Unfortunately, not much is readily available on the web (aside from the video below). Not even the film, “Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex” mentions the band. But apparently there is a soundtrack due out later this year. I hope a book follows that.
The highlights on Old Canes‘ Feral Harmonic are proof that acoustic singer-songwriting can still be exciting. Driven by a frantically strummed guitar, the best songs are fantastic.
Highlights like “Little Bird Courage” contain an urgency, horns, and bursts of celebratory da-da-da’s. The everyday voices responding to his call infuse the song with a party atmosphere. The sad lyrics on “The Last Collapse” contrast with the celebratory rat-tat-tats of the snare, the soaring vocals, and smattering of chimes. “Trust” follows the same formula, with lyrics of love and strained vocals over a boisterous drum and acoustic guitar.
Feral Harmonic starts out really strong, but starts to wander in the middle with songs like “Sweet,” which saps the energy of the previous five songs with a chugging raga. “Under” pokes along, the strained vocals now sounding tired. The album picks back up with the upbeat “I will Be The Sun,” another of my favorites, and makes the B side well worth a spin.
Track Listing:
01. Intro
02. Little Bird Courage
03. The Last Collapse
04. Trust
05. Next
06. Sweet
07. Under
08. I Will Be the Sun
09. Stuck
10. Flower Faces
11. Black Hill Chapel
12. Southern Radio
I first saw Nurses play at PDX Pop Now! While they played a great set to a packed and enthusiastic crowd, Rotture isn’t the best venue to see or hear a band. The acoustics in the Doug Fir, on the other hand, make it a great place to hear Nurses’ shambling indie rock. And they sounded great, especially the harmonies. The vocals were clear and sharp in all their quirky splendor. Nurses are just three guys, with Aaron Chapman on lead vocals and guitar, James Mitchell on drums, John Bowers on keyboards and electronics. The songs sound like the band pieced together catchy fragments – vocal warm-ups, rhythms, and tinkling piano – to create a casually psychedelic music that feels both imaginative and intimate.
The table of electronics set out in the middle of the stage explains why I couldn’t quite identify all the noises I heard on the album. Throughout the show, Bowers twiddled nobs, tinkled on keyboards and added the occasional vocal harmony. The biggest surprise was that the whistles on “Caterpillar Playground” were actually played on a keyboard. Like on the album, “Manatarms” lurched forward with the layered vocals and a percussive piano, while “Technicolor” shimmered over almost ambient taps and gurgles. Every song sounded playful and deceptively loose and off the cuff, while it was clear from the precision of their playing that the band was a tight and cohesive unit. Although the album is fantastic, I really enjoyed seeing the band pull together all desperate pieces into rich texture-filled songs.
I first heard these songs at a concert shortly after I interviewedScotland Barr in the spring. We discussed his recent diagnosis and the album he was writing and recording. At the concert, we chatted about our experiences living in Santa Cruz (my old hometown) and Portland (my adopted home). Although I had been hoping to hear my favorite tracks off of All the Great Aviators Agree, he only played his new songs and I was blown away. The songs were less boisterous, mixing in more ballads with the folk and country rock. When I first heard these MP3′s they were just the teaser for the great double album that the concert promised. I couldn’t wait to hear it in its entirety and was looking forward to a follow up interview upon its release. Then he passed away and the songs changed, suddenly gaining a deeper emotional resonance.
Although Barr said that he’d written most of the songs before his diagnosis, its impossible not to hear a man looking over and assessing the span of his life. “Eyes Like LA” (MP3) sets the tone with warm ringing guitars, plenty of country harmonies, and the offhand but poignant line “They say there’s no way that I could go so soon.” A piano leads the slow and reflective “Rasputin and Me” (MP3), a look back over Barr’s life, through the places he lived and the people he loved. The sentiment is summed up in the line “What really got me, wasn’t how old we’d become, but was how young we used to be.” “Everybody Knows” (MP3) is the most upbeat of the bunch, built around a barroom sing-along-inducing chorus and funky keyboard bridge. The EP closes with the epic “Right Where You’re Supposed To Be” (MP3), a song beginning with the joy of performing and ending in contentment.
The rest of the band is now soliciting donations to help pay for recording and mixing the rest of the album. Judging from these four songs, it’s a worthwhile investment.
Last week I was lucky enough to catch a double release show at Berbati’s Pan by two of Portland’s better bands. If they weren’t both on Kill Rock Stars, Panther‘s funky dance punk and the Shaky Hands roots rock might seem like an odd pairing. But genre difference aside, they both deliver high energy performances. The only disappointment that night was that Panther’s set was way too short. They have tons of material. The crowd was into it. I guess I’ll just need to come back sometime when they headline.
It’s no longer surprising that two member bands can be exciting and dynamic, but most of those bands stick to stripped down or fuzzed-out rock, folk, and blues. Sure, they are exciting, but how many of them make you dance? With just a drummer, a guitarist, and a pre-programed bass/keyboard, Panther delivered a flailing and inventive set. At times, Charles Salas-Humara‘s vocals and guitar are almost percussive, making the songs very beat oriented. I love the jerky rhythms of “Live Is Sold” and “Latitudes for Centuries,” but really just about every song they played that night was catchy, wild and fun. Fans of the Dirty Projectors should definitely check them out.
The Shaky Hands’ Let It Die is full of meaty rockers, continuing the progression from indie folk towards classic rock started on Lunglight. While Nicholas Delffs‘ strained nasal voice gives the songs urgency, the guitars propel them forward with a mix of comfortable strums and powerful riffs. This music is meant to be played and heard live, although the songs sound pretty good on the album too. I like how on “Slip Away” the beat stutters while the vocals swagger until finally the guitar is let loose. “Allison And The Ancient Eyes” rolls along, riding cymbals and hand-claps, while Delffs spills regrets. The night ended with Panther coming back on to join the Shaky Hands for their second encore and a chaotic guitar and vocal freakout.
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